Conservation, especially in an urban setting, relies on people's willingness to protect natural resources. From charismatic creatures like sea turtles and dolphins, to appealing seafood like halibut and lobster, to the unglamours habitats of marshes and seagrass - they are all interconnected and depend on human choices for their continued existance. Articles like this one, that highlight the hard work being done by scientists on the front-line of conservation, help to increase awareness of habitats, creatures, and even economic resources that may otherwise go unnoticed.

I applaud the efforts of those who help to spread the word and engage the public and decision makers alike. For all the laws in place to protect our resources, it still comes down to individuals making small choices that cumulatively have a large impact. I applaud those business owners too who go the extra mile to protect the resources around them and strive to improve their own business practices. Efforts underway to align incentives with conservation must continue for marshes and seagrass beds to persist, because those habitats are where juvenile halibut and lobster grow into the food we enjoy eating, and it is where childhood favorites like green sea turtles eat and grow in an effort to avoid extinction.

(Author out kayaking the SD Bay for Operation Clean Sweep - see the South Bay Power Plant in the distance. Also discovered a wonderful saltmarsh with amazing birds, crabs, snails, gobies & more!)

About Me

Cali is a Postdoctoral Fellow at University of California, San Diego's Ecology program, having received her Ph.D. in Ecology, Behavior
& Evolution. She is a graduate of UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she received her Masters in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation. Her work conducting environmental monitoring in San Diego includes assisting NOAA researchers monitor the population of green sea turtles in the San Diego Bay. The work highlighted on this blog is in partnership with NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center (see links for more information).